This invention relates to dental tools, and, more particularly, to a device for facilitating the fabrication of functional orthodontic appliances by providing accurate alignment of the teeth preparatory to the fabrication process.
Orthopedic appliances have been increasingly used since the 1930's in both children and adults for correcting improper alignment of the teeth. Orthodontic appliances, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,487 (Removable Orthodontic Appliances; Murdock, inventor) and which are molded to accurately conform to the teeth and jaws of the individual user, have proven to be especially valuable in correcting malocclusions such as overbite and underbite, and open bite, where the upper and lower incisors do not contact one another.
In the fabrication of orthopedic appliances for use in closed bite cases, the typical first step is to obtain what is termed a "construction bite". The construction bite corresponds to the proper alignment of the jaw and teeth with the finished orthopedic appliance in position within the patient's mouth. In order to achieve the optimum correction of the misalignment, it is required that the construction bite be obtained as accurately as possible. When an accurate construction bite has been obtained a wax mold inserted between the posterior teeth will be imprinted with such construction bite, and can thereafter be used in the fabrication, such as by molding, of the finished orthopedic appliance.
In obtaining construction bites, dentists and dental technicians have relied on visual sighting and manual manipulation of the jaws to properly align the teeth. Additionally, dentists have used tongue depressors inserted between the upper and lower incisors to achieve proper spacing therebetween, together with visual alignment of the midpoints of the upper and lower incisors. That is, with an increasing number of orthodontic appliances, the upper and lower incisors must be spaced apart to accommodate biting surfaces of the appliances themselves, thereby requiring accurate vertical, horizontal, and rotational alignment of the teeth preparatory to the construction bite. Although visual sighting of the midline of the upper and lower incisors have proven satisfactory in achieving rotational alignment, such method, whether alone or in combination with manual manipulation of the jaws, has not proven satisfactory in achieving accurate horizontal and vertical alignment.